I’m sorry, what?
Why the hero-worship of Jacinda Ardern is unhealthy
There is evidence of it already in our online political discourse. Any criticism of the Government’s policies and measures is met with a wave of venom.
Even gentle questioning – by opponents, interest groups or the media – is seen as a personal attack on Ardern.
That’s because when people blindly align themselves to one party and their leader, they tend to overlook the negative effects of their decisions.
Those who seek to hold Ardern to account over flu vaccines, personal protective equipment in the health system, or confusion about restrictions, are villainised or strafed with ‘whataboutism.’
Social media enhances this by creating an echo chamber of us vs them.
…this is priceless on so many levels.
1 – This is the Journalist who insinuated (based on a bullshit whaleoil level piece of journalism on The Spinoff last year) that the Prime Minister not only knew about a serious sexual assault but actually covered it up. An insinuation Vance had to back peddle from after key parts of the Spinoff story proved to be false. Pulling leaders off pedestals is one thing, dragging them needlessly through the sewer another.
2 – The only reason Vance is pissed is because the woke lynch mob she normally appeals to have turned on her and her journalist mates. NZ Journalist are appalling on Twitter with all their chummy guffaws and inside joke backslapping. They love the wave of adoration from the woke their work produces, now that woke lynch mob have turned on them, suddenly it’s a problem.
3 – The reason people are feeling so passionate and fierce is because there is a wide spread belief amongst those who have experienced this shared moment that Jacinda saved us from a fate we are seeing play out in the UK and America. When an electorate feel you have actually saved their lives, they are grateful and criticism of that needs to be respectful.
Now – is Jacinda infallible? No. of course not, there have been screw ups, TDB who was first on the media scene in NZ pointing out that this mysterious Chinese virus was a serious event have detailed those screw ups and we’ve never pulled our punches in that criticism because TDB don’t give two shits what the woke say about us on Twitter.
You can be both appreciative of the job Jacinda has done WHILE also be scathing about parts of it that have been wrong. The difference is not caring what others say about you voicing your opinion.
TDB will always speak its mind regardless of what the alt-right or woke left say.
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Sadly we see a hardening of Jacinda’ ‘tone’ lately now from before being the soft cuddly former self “Kind warm caring ” government she said she would bring.
It seems that being in the political beltway full of capping critizism does harden even the best intentions of our politicians.
Winston Peters has been the best traditional (joke and smile type) that we have seen to date bless him, as it warms the heart to see some ‘lite-hearted politics’ in our days of doom.
Regardless of what the government does the people with self interest moan. – Instead of congratulating Ardern and her team of experts on how the situation has been managed there is constant carping from the likes of the Hoskin family, Soper family and Garner and his side kick. – They have the audacity to beg for government support, receive it and then carry on bagging the very people that have saved their jobs. – Economic activity is still happening in rural NZ – stock trucks to the works and milk tankers to the milk plants – Mass tourism and “Export Education ” are gone – good – no value in mass tourism from China – they pre-pay there – fly on Chinese owned airlines – stay in Chinese owned hotels – travel on Chinese owned tour buses staffed by Chinese staff on work visa’s who are paid in China – NZ gets the odd bit of PAYE and some GST – the Export Education has reduced once revered NZ qualifications to “Junk Status” – too many rorts – needs to be investigated – vested interests at play as work visa’s issued with study right have been used to fill unskilled jobs and force down wages – funny how the narrative being spun by the private media now is that we have been in in lock down too long – the private media perform more contortions than a Russian gymnast on steroids just to portray the Government in a negative light – now is the time to pull together not undermine what is trying to be achieved – too much is still unknown about the virus
Andy don’t love Cindy, of that be in no doubt. She comes across as catty and jealous more and more, her anti obsession starting the parallel Hosking.
There have been recent moments where donating to Stuff has been tempting but then I see a typically lazy headline above a poor piece of so called journalism needlessly stirring shit up against an organisation like I have done yesterday and today and think, nah, it’s not worth saving.
Jason Walls wrote a similar piece in the NZ Herald (Covid-19 coronavirus: Inside NZ’s favourite reality TV show – the 1pm press conference).
In the article he writes: “While Ardern and Bloomfield have become international superstars and the heroes of New Zealand’s Covid-19 fight, the gallery reporters have seemingly become the villains of the story. Where the United States has Trump, it seems New Zealand has its journalists.”
Generally, the media would package the coverage of press conferences for the news to convey the angle they wanted, or what they felt was important. And, often politicians would play along by repeating a dreaded soundbite. These COVID conferences, however, are broadcast live and unedited. Viewers get to see the show unfiltered, in context and get to make their own decisions on those who ask the questions and those that answer them. They also have the means, and the time, to go on social media and give their opinions. Seems like the poor old media have not liked the feedback.
Those that like to ask the hard questions, and have the power to end careers, are now asking for us to go soft on them.
Andrea Vance wants journalists like her to be put on a pedestal which constantly swivels through 360 degrees and all the while they are firing little poison darts around them with an occasional blank so they cannot be blamed for being continually destructive. Everyone is fodder and the personality becomes hard and is destroyed from the constant thinking at a mean level. Then that leads to an unpleasant person with a glittering, exploitative eye.
Think of Sauron’s eye in LotR.
Journalist?
If you think Vance is bad, check out Steve Elers. This guy really has an axe to grind when it comes to Jacinda. It’s like she egged his house and set his dog on fire or something.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/121206976/prime-minister-needs-to-be-held-to-account-over-coronavirus-claims
“You can be both appreciative of the job Jacinda has done WHILE also be scathing about parts of it that have been wrong.”
Absolutely! What I notice is that the shrill critics of the right allow no acknowledgement of any good thing that Ardern and team might have done (and even Ashley Bloomfield), that is completely filtered out.
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